The Premier League chief executive, Richard Scudamore, has insisted recent racism scandals have not damaged the image of the English game and that he was "proud" of the way they had been dealt with.

After a parliamentary committee announced an inquiry into the subject of racism and sport in the wake of several high-profile allegations and their fallout, including those involving Luis Suárez and John Terry, Scudamore said the "fabric" of the game had not been damaged.

"I am absolutely confident that English football's record of dealing with this is good," he said. "Look at the reaction to it. It's being dealt with. I am proud we're in a country where there was that reaction. It's a lot better than in other countries."

The parliamentary inquiry into racism in sport is considering whether to ask a representative of Liverpool to give evidence about their handling of the Suárez case, with two influential MPs on the committee critical of the club's response.

Steve Rotheram, the Labour MP for Liverpool Walton, said the affair had contributed to a reopening of the "fraught" issue of racism. "In hindsight I am sure there are things Liverpool did which they will regret," said Rotheram.

Damian Collins, the Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, said he thought it would be "helpful and useful" to hear from representatives of Liverpool and Chelsea about the way the clubs respectively handled the cases.

The committee chairman, John Whittingdale, said the Football Association, the Premier League and the anti-racism campaign group Kick It Out would all be called to give evidence.

Scudamore, while refusing to comment on individual cases, said a balance had to be struck between maintaining the "excitement and competitiveness" of rivalries between clubs while insisting on maintaining a "zero tolerance" approach to racism. But he said football authorities could not be held responsible for racist abuse on Twitter and other social network sites, even if it was provoked by football or involved fans of rival clubs.

"Outside of the stadium when it comes to social media it is clearly someone else's responsibility," he said. "That is for governments and police, and Twitter and other social media have to have their own code. If it goes on in our grounds you get ejected and your season ticket taken away. Social media is by definition about society. You should only say what you would be prepared to say to someone's face."